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Equilibrium, 2015

Product design rendering and sketches for heat transmitting keyboard

 

Does our digital world truly help minimize the feeling of distance in time and space between loved ones? Or can it perhaps also serve to detract from the value of real human touch? Equilibrium aims to make long-distance online chatting with a friend more intimate, by allowing users to feel the warmth of the hands of the person with whom they are talking, and vice-versa. A streamlined design, which includes visual stimulation, aims to rekindle the physical element of engaging in a one-on-one conversation, through simulation of the body heat transmitted when holding hands.

Technical Description

 

Equilibrium is small so as to be completely portable (4 inches in length, 1.2 inches in height), and created using sleek, matte anodized aluminum. An LED projector located in the center of the device transmits a virtual keyboard onto any surface below, while a motion-detecting camera within the mid-lower section of the device logs user keystrokes. A second, thermographic camera measures each user’s hand temperature while they are typing. This information is transferred to the partner Equilibrium, and emitted in the form of heat-carrying infrared light onto the hands of the partner user.

 

User temperatures are also displayed via LED soft light on the main body of the Equilibrium, alongside color-coded visual heat representation. Equilibrium also acts as a cell phone or iPad stand.

Sketches - Process of finalizing the design

3-D modeling with Autodesk MAYA

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